Methods of displaying a second view

ABSTRACT

Methods of displaying information on an electronic device have a first touchscreen display and a second touchscreen display are disclosed. As the user enters inputs on the first touchscreen display, the second touchscreen displays the results of the user&#39;s inputs on the first touchscreen display. Either touchscreen can be used as an input device. Display information generated by an application can be the same on both displays. Alternatively, the first and second displays comprise a single, larger screen. An single application can address the displays as distinct devices. A touchscreen display can be dedicated to a single application, or a single instance of an application such that the two displays can run different applications, or different instances of the same application. In conjunction with a wireless communications module, the electronic device can be used as a portable teleconferencing device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of electronic devices havinga touchscreen. More specifically, the present invention relates to usinga touchscreen interface for an electronic device without obstructing theview of the touchscreen display. The invention further relates tocontrolling a second display using a first touchscreen display and usingthe second display to show the user a more detailed view of informationdisplayed on the first touchscreen display.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A touchscreen comprises two distinct elements and functions: a displayfor displaying information and an input that is activated by touchingthe display. By incorporating a touchscreen into an electronic device,the electronic device can be made smaller and, often, less expensive byminimizing the number and size of other user inputs on the electronicdevice. In the recent past, touchscreen prices have dropped sufficientlythat a touchscreen can cost-effectively be included in a wide variety ofelectronic devices having an even wider variety of applications.Electronic devices that comprise a touchscreen interface can include adesktop computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, apersonal digital assistant, a mobile phone, a Smart Phone, a digitalcamera, a digital music player, a digital camcorder, a digital pictureframe, an electronic book reader (e-book), a bank automated tellermachine (ATM), an automated retail self-checkout system, and retailcheckout system for using a debit or credit card. These are but a few ofthe many electronic devices and applications for a touchscreeninterface.

In normal use, the viewable area of a touchscreen is obscured by auser's hand as the user makes an input on the touchscreen with her hand.For example, the Apple® iPad® and Apple® iPhone® feature a touchscreeninput method where a user touches the screen with two fingers,simultaneously, and draws his fingers closer together or spreads themfarther apart to zoom out and zoom in, respectively, to a view of apicture on the touchscreen display. Another touchscreen input method isthe user making a swiping motion with a finger across the surface of thetouchscreen in order to move the displayed information laterally on thetouchscreen. Other touchscreen user inputs include touching, tapping, ordouble tapping an icon displayed on the touchscreen display to select oractivate the icon, including an icon representing a key of a keyboard,and sliding a fingertip continuously across the touchscreen to scrollthe display in the direction of the fingertip motion. When a user makesany of these touchscreen inputs, the user's hand obstructs the user'sview of the touchscreen display area.

A user can have an unobstructed view of a touchscreen display by usinganother input device, other than the touchscreen, such as a mouse, atrackball, a touchpad, a keyboard, a stylus pen, or a motion trackingdevice such as the Microsoft® Kinect®. Each of these solutions requiresthat the electronic device have hardware additional to the touchscreen.For modern portable electronic devices, an external mouse, a keyboard,or a trackball is not practical because the user must carry this extrahardware, connect it before it can be used, and the user must use theportable electronic device in a location conducive to the hardware, suchas a flat surface. Further, a keyboard lacks the input flexibilityoffered by a touchscreen and is slow and cumbersome to use as comparedto a touchscreen. A trackball offers fixed, poor resolution and cannotsupport multi-touch input gestures such as those described above for atouchscreen. A motion tracking device requires extensive additionalhardware and software, and currently is unable to detect finger-levelgesture tracking with acceptable accuracy. A stylus pen offers a singlepoint of interaction and cannot support multi-touch input gestures.Further, the stylus pen is small and easily lost or misplaced. Thestylus pen also does not solve the problem that the input device, astylus pen or the user's fingers, obstructs the view of the touchscreendisplay when the user makes an input on the touchscreen.

Currently, user input on portable electronic devices is often enteredusing a touchscreen display. Performing user input with a touchscreendisplay obscures the user's view of the display unless he moves his handaway from the display with each user input. It is inconvenient torelocate one's hand at each user input to see the display screen, and itis further inconvenient to obscure the vision of the display by furtheruser input.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the presently-claimed invention are directed toelectronic devices for and methods of displaying information on anelectronic device having a first touchscreen display and a seconddisplay. Preferably, the second display is also a touchscreen display.An application running on the electronic device can display the samething on both displays, or utilize the displays as separate displays. Insome embodiments, the two displays are used to create a single, largerscreen for viewing a movie. The two touchscreens can be used to create asingle, larger input area and a single, larger display area so that asingle application, such as a spreadsheet, can utilize a larger screenand input area. In another example, one display shows an email inbox,and the other display shows the content of a message selected by theuser from the inbox in the first display. In a modern, multitaskingoperating environment such as Microsoft® Windows® or Google® Chrome®,one touchscreen can be dedicated to one application, and the secondtouchscreen can be dedicated to a different application, or a secondinstance of the same application. For example, the first application isa cell phone application and the second application is a web browser.

In a first aspect, an electronic device comprises a communicationsmodule, a first display having a touchscreen, and a second displaycommunicatively coupled to the first display. In a preferred embodiment,the first and second displays have substantially the same display screenresolution and substantially the same physical dimensions. In apreferred embodiment, the communications module in the electronic deviceis a wireless communications module. Examples of electronic devicesinclude, but are not limited to, a cell phone, a SmartPhone, a personaldigital assistant, a tablet personal computer, a netbook, and a laptoppersonal computer. Preferably, the electronic device comprises a firstdevice portion housing the first touchscreen display, and a seconddevice portion housing the second display. In a preferred embodiment,the two device portions each further include a camera module that isinterfaced to the communications module. The two device portions canfurther be physically coupled together. In a preferred embodiment, thetwo devices portions are physically coupled together via a hinge. Thetwo device portions can also be physically, separably coupled. In afirst position, the first touchscreen display and the second display areoriented in a substantially planar relationship to each other, and arephysically substantially adjacent to each other such that the physicalappearance of the two displays is that of a single, larger displaysubstantially equal in size to the combination of the two displays. Insome embodiments, the electronic device includes a switch, sensor, orother detection means to automatically detect that the electronic deviceis in the first position. A switch, sensor, or other detection means canalso detect that the two device portions are coupled. In a secondposition, the electronic device is in a folded, closed position suchthat the two device portions are back-to-back such that the two displayscreens are on the outside of the closed device. The electronic devicecan further include a switch, sensor or other detection means to detectthat the electronic device is in the second position. The electronicdevice can further be put into a third position, between the first andsecond positions, such that it is partially opened, similar to theappearance of a partially-opened greeting card. In a preferredembodiment, each of the two device portions includes a retractable standfor supporting the device portion independently when the device portionsare separated, or together when the device portions are physicallycoupled.

In a second aspect, a method of displaying first display information onan electronic device having a first touchscreen display and a secondtouchscreen display, comprises displaying at least a portion of thefirst display information on the first touchscreen display anddisplaying at least a portion of the first display information on thesecond touchscreen display. Preferably, the at least a portion of thefirst display information displayed on the first touchscreen display issubstantially identical to the at least a portion of the first displayinformation displayed on the second touchscreen display. In someembodiments, the at least a portion of the first display informationdisplayed on the first touchscreen display is substantially all of thefirst display information. The method can further comprise receiving auser input on the first touchscreen display, automatically generatingsecond display information in response to the user input, and displayingthe second display information on the second touchscreen display. Thesecond display information is preferably also displayed on the firsttouchscreen. In some embodiments, the method further comprises receivinga user input on the second touchscreen display, automatically generatingthird display information in response to the user input, and displayingthe third display information on the first touchscreen display. Thefirst display information can be an inbox of an email application withthe user input being the selection of an email message to view, and thesecond display information is a detailed view of the selected message.The first display information can alternatively be a directorydisplaying information representing a plurality of pictures, the userinput is the selection of one of the pictures for display, and thesecond display information is a display of the selected one of thepictures. The method can further comprise receiving user input on thesecond touchscreen display. The user input is an input to expand thesize of the picture. The method further comprises automaticallygenerating third display information in response to the user input anddisplaying the third display information on the first touchscreendisplay. The third display information is an expanded version pictureaccording to the user input. During the user input, an outline of aframe indicating the amount of expansion of the size of the picture isdisplayed on the first touchscreen display, and the third displayinformation is displayed on the first display without the outline of aframe after the user input is completed.

In third aspect, a method of displaying information on the electronicdevice described above comprises generating display information by anapplication on the electronic device, displaying at least a portion ofthe display information on the first touchscreen display and displayingat least a portion of the display information on the second display. Insome embodiments, both displays show substantially the same displayinformation such that the displays each appear to display substantiallyall of the display information. In other embodiments, the portion of thedisplay information displayed on the first touchscreen is substantiallyone half of the display information, and the display information on thesecond display is substantially the other half of the displayinformation, such that the combination of the first touchscreen displayand the second display appears as a single, larger display screen.

In a fourth aspect, a method of displaying information on an electronicdevice having a first touchscreen display and a second display comprisesdisplaying first display information on the first touchscreen display,receiving a user input on the first touchscreen display, automaticallygenerating second display information in response to the user input, anddisplaying the second display information on the second display. Inembodiments where the second display is a touchscreen display, themethod further comprises receiving a user input on the secondtouchscreen display, automatically generating third display informationin response to the user input, and displaying the third displayinformation on the first touchscreen display. In some embodiments, themethod further comprises displaying the third display information on thesecond touchscreen display so that both the first and second touchscreendisplays are displaying substantially the same infatuation.

In a fifth aspect, a method of displaying information on an electronicdevice, the electronic device comprising a first touchscreen display, asecond display, and a plurality of applications loaded onto theelectronic device, the method comprises displaying first displayinformation generated by a first application on the first touchscreendisplay, and displaying second display information generated by a secondapplication on the second display. In a preferred embodiment, the firstapplication is a cell phone application, and the second application is aweb browser application.

In a sixth aspect, a method of displaying information is implemented onan electronic device comprising a first device portion having a firsttouchscreen display, a first camera module, a wireless communicationsmodule, an executing software application, and a second device portionhaving a second display and a second camera module. The first deviceportion and the second device portion can be physically, separably, andcommunicatively coupled. The method of displaying information on theelectronic device comprises generating, by the electronic deviceapplication, first video information and second video information,displaying the first video information on the first touchscreen display,and displaying the second video information on the second display.Generating first information and second video information by theelectronic device application can include receiving a video input streamcomprising the first video information and the second video information,and separating the video input stream into the first video informationand the second video information. In some embodiments, the video inputstream comprises a plurality of video camera streams, such as ateleconference video stream or a plurality of security cameras.

In another aspect, a method of displaying information an electronicdevice having a first touchscreen display, a wireless communicationsmodule, and a second touchscreen display, the method comprisesgenerating first video information and second video information from avideo stream comprising the first video information and the second videoinformation, displaying the first video information on the firsttouchscreen display, and displaying the second video information on thesecond touchscreen display. In some embodiments, the video input streamcomprises a plurality of video camera streams, such as a pair ofconference call video cameras or a pair of video security cameras.

The invention further comprises a control circuit implementing any ofthe above methods. The control circuit can comprise a first touchscreeninterface and a second touch screen interface. The control circuit canfurther accept a video stream comprising multiple video streams, andseparate out each video stream for display on a touchscreen display. Thecontrol circuit is preferably an integrated circuit. In someembodiments, the control circuit comprises a processor and a memory. Thememory is programmed with the instructions necessary to implement themethod steps described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1D show an electronic device having two displays in a closedposition, a partially open position, a fully open position, and a rearview of a fully open position, respectively, according to someembodiments.

FIGS. 2A-2E shows an electronic device having two displays displayingpicture information, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 3A-3D shows an electronic device having two displays displayingemail information, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 4A and 4B shows an electronic device having two displays beingused for displaying video during a phone call, according to someembodiments.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show a pair of electronic devices having two displaysbeing used for a video conference call, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 6A-6D show a flow diagram for a method of displaying informationon an electronic device having two displays, according to someembodiments.

FIGS. 7A-7E show a dialog box for configuring an application to use thefirst touchscreen display and the second display on an electronicdevice, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures illustrate features of specific embodiments of thepresently-claimed invention. Throughout the figures, below, identicallabels refer to identical or similar elements. The following embodimentsare intended to illustrate the features of the presently-claimedinvention. The invention is not limited to only the disclosedembodiments.

The displays of the electronic device are configurable to operate in avariety of display modes, described below. The electronic devicecomprises a first and second device portion that, in some embodiments,are separably, hingedly, detachably coupled together. Means fordetecting the relative position of the device portions, with respect toeach other, are also described below. The element numbers referred to inthe following description of the display modes are found in FIGS. 1A-1D,described below.

Description of Display Modes

Paired Mode

The default mode of displaying information on an electronic device 100having two touchscreen displays (“displays”) by an application runningon the electronic device 100 is to display the same information on bothdisplays. The application generates a display information and thedisplay information is sent to both displays.

Detail Mode

In Detail Mode, the application has already generated first displayinformation that is already shown on at least one of the firsttouchscreen display 115 and the second display 125. In some embodimentsthe second display 125 is also a touchscreen. A user input is receivedon one of the touchscreens. The application processes the input andgenerates second display information in response to the input. Thefollowing examples illustrate the operation of Detail Mode.

In an email application, the first display information can be a list ofcontacts in an address book. The user taps a first touchscreen display115 to select one contact from the list of contacts, and the applicationgenerates second display information comprising a detailed view of thecontact information for the selected contact. The second displayinformation is displayed on the touchscreen display 125 that is not theone which received the user input. The display that received the userinput can show an indication of the user's selection of a contact, butis otherwise unchanged.

In a music player application, the first touchscreen 115 can display alibrary of music by artist, genre, or year, for example. The userselects an artist to view by tapping the artist name in the library onthe first touchscreen display 115. The application then generates adetailed view of the songs by the artist that are stored on the musicplayer and displays it on the second display 125. In an embodiment wherethe second display 125 is a touchscreen display, the user can select asong to be played by tapping on the title of the song in the seconddisplay 125. The application receives the user input, queues the songfor playing, and generates new display information showing the musicplayer controls with the song queued for play. The new displayinformation is displayed on the first touchscreen 115 where the user canthen operate the music player controls.

In a picture viewing application, the first touchscreen display 115 candisplay a picture. The user can make a zoom or shrink gesture, forexample, on the first touchscreen display 115. As the user moves herfingers in the spreading or narrowing diagonal finger movement as knownin the art, a zoom command frame is generated and displayed on the firsttouchscreen display 115. When the user completes the zoom-in or zoom-outgesture, the application receives the input and generates new displayinformation responsive to the zoom-in or zoom-out command. The newdisplay information is displayed on the second display 125. In this way,the user can view the zoom-in or zoom-out result without moving her handaway from the first touchscreen display 115.

Full Screen Mode

In Full Screen Mode, an application treats the combination of the firsttouchscreen display 115 and the second display 125 as though it were asingle, larger display. The application maps a portion of the displayinformation to be displayed, for example an upper half, to the firsttouchscreen display 115, and maps the remainder of the displayinformation to the second display 125. In embodiments where the seconddisplay 125 is a touchscreen display, an application can address both ofthe touchscreen displays as a single, larger screen with a single,larger touchscreen surface. Upon receiving an input, the applicationprocesses the user input as if the combined touchscreen surfaces are asingle touchscreen pad, and generates new display information as iswell-known in the art. The following examples illustrate the operationof Full Screen Mode.

In a movie player application, when the electronic device 100 is in theclosed position, the movie can be played in Paired Mode, on both displayscreens 115 and 125. When the electronic device 100 is in the openposition, as detected by the position detection switch 131, the movieplayer application can utilize the combined display surface of the firsttouchscreen display 115 and the second display 125 as a single, largerdisplay screen for the movie. As is known in the art, the aspect ratioof the resulting images may be adjusted to the user's preference.

Multiplexed Mode and Paired Multiplexed Mode

It is possible for the electronic device 100 to receive a multiplexedvideo stream for display on the two touchscreen displays, 115 and 125.The multiplexed video stream is be demultiplexed, and each video streamfrom the demultiplexed video stream is be assigned to a touchscreendisplay. The user can also configure the electronic device in PairedMultiplexed Mode such that the two demultiplexed video streams aredisplayed side-by-side on the first touchscreen display 115, and thesame is displayed on the second touchscreen display 125. The followingexamples illustrate the operation of Multiplexed Mode.

In a cell phone application, a video conferencing system comprising apair of cameras and microphones can transmit a multiplexed streamcomprising the two video streams from the cameras and the two audiostreams from the microphones. The electronic device 100 receives themultiplexed streams of video and audio as a cell phone call,demultiplexes the streams, and displays the video and plays the audio onthe electronic device 100. The electronic device 100 displays a firstvideo stream on the first touchscreen display 115 and plays the firstaudio stream on the first speaker 111, and displays the second videostream on the second display 125 and plays the second audio stream onthe second speaker 121. The electronic device 100 further multiplexesand transmits the video output from a camera module, 112 and 122, ineach device portion of the electronic device, and the microphone outputfrom each microphone, 114 and 124, in each device portion. In thisapplication, the electronic device 100 functions as a portableteleconferencing system.

In addition, a single cell phone call user can utilize the electronicdevice 100 in the closed position, as shown in FIGS. 1A, 4A, and 4B. Inthe closed position, the two device portions, 110 and 120, areback-to-back with the first touchscreen display 115, first camera module112, first microphone 114, second display 125, second camera module 122and second microphone 124 facing outward. In this folded, closedposition, the user faces toward the first touchscreen display 115. Thefirst camera module 112 and first microphone 114 capture the image andspeech, respectively, of the user. The second display 125, second cameramodule 122, and second microphone 124 face away from the user. The usercan aim the second camera module 122 and second microphone 124 atsomething that she wants the person at the other end of the phone callto see and hear. The first touchscreen display 115 displays the videostream of the second camera 122, aimed away from the user, so that theuser can monitor the view that is being transmitted to the user at theother end of the phone call. The video stream of the first camera module112 and first microphone 114, capturing the user's image and speech, ismultiplexed with the video stream of the second camera module 122 andthe second microphone 124, and the multiplexed stream is transmittedover the cell phone call to the person at the other end of the phonecall. If that person also has an electronic device 100 according to thepresently-claimed invention, the images and audio can be demultiplexed,displayed, and played as described in the figures below.

In a security application, the electronic device 100 can receive amultiplexed video stream comprising multiple security camera streams.The electronic device can demultiplex the video streams and display eachsecurity camera stream as described in the figures below.

Independent Single Application Mode

An application can use each of the first 115 and second 125 touchscreendisplays for a different function. The following examples illustrate theoperation of Independent Single Application Mode.

A cell phone application utilizes the first touchscreen display 115 todisplay a virtual cell phone dialing interface, receive and processvirtual cell phone dialing keystrokes, and use the second display 125 todisplay the resulting phone number entered by the user on the firsttouchscreen display 115. The virtual cell phone dialing interfacefurther comprises “CALL” and “END” keys. When the user touches the“CALL” virtual key, the application generates display informationinforming the user that the phone is dialing the number entered, anddisplays that information on the second display 125.

A text messaging application can display a virtual QWERTY keypad on thefirst touchscreen display 115, process the virtual keystrokes, anddisplay them on the second touchscreen display 125.

In a gaming application, the application generates a virtual game playuser interface and displays it on the first touchscreen display 115.Game play actions and results generated by the gaming application aredisplayed on the second display screen 125. Since the game play userinterface is a virtual interface generated by the application, theapplication can generate and display any number of virtual game playuser interfaces on the first touchscreen display.

Independent Two Application Mode

An electronic device running a multitasking operating system such asMicrosoft® Windows® or Google® Chrome® can allocate one touchscreendisplay to one application, and a second touchscreen display to a secondapplication. For example, a user can have a map application open on thefirst touchscreen display 115, and a cell phone application open on thesecond touchscreen display 125.

Means for Detecting

As described below, in FIGS. 1B and 1D, the electronic device 100comprises two device portions 110 and 120 that are physically, separablycoupled via a hinge 130. For some applications, it may be desirable forthe device to enter into a specific mode by virtue of being in a knownposition, and additionally, operating a specific application. Forexample, if the user is running a movie application and the electronicdevice 100 is folded closed, then the electronic device 100automatically displays the movie in Paired Mode. If the user then opensthe electronic device 100, the electronic device 100 detects that it isin the open position and enters the Full Screen Mode for watching themovie. Means for detecting the position of the first device portion 110and the second device portion 120 can comprise a momentary switch thatis depressed or released based upon the relative positions of the deviceportions 110 and 120. Alternatively, an electrical circuit can be madeor broken when the electronic device 100 is fully open or fully closed.An optical sensor can be used to detect the presence, or occlusion, oflight to detect the relative position of the device portions 110 and120. A Hall-effect sensor can be used to detect whether a magnet in onedevice portion (110, 120) is sufficiently close to a Hall-effect sensorin the other device portion (120, 110) in order to determine therelative position of the device portions 110 and 120. One skilled in theart will recognize other means for detecting the relative position ofthe device portions 110 and 120. The same means can be used to determinewhether the first 110 and second 120 device portions are physicallycoupled.

FIGS. 1A-1D show an electronic device 100 having two displays. FIG. 1Ashows the electronic device 100 in a closed position. The electronicdevice 100 comprises two device portions, 110 and 120. The first deviceportion 110 houses a first touchscreen display 115, a keypad 113, amicrophone 114, a camera module 112, a speaker 111, and an internalcommunications module (not shown). The communications module is wirelessand implements the functionality of a cell phone. The communicationsmodule can support well-known communications standards such as WiFi, 3G,4G, CDMA, TDMA, and IEEE 802.11a, b, g, and n. The first device portion110 is physically, separably, and hingedly coupled to the second deviceportion 120 via a hinge 130. One skilled in the art will recognize thatsome of the communications functionality could be implemented by wiredcommunications well-known in the art. The first device portion 110comprises a switch or sensor 131 to detect when the two device portions110 and 120 are in an open, substantially planar position.

FIG. 1B shows the electronic device 100 in a partially open position,showing both the first device portion 110 and the second device portion120. The second device portion 120 houses a display screen 125, a keypad123, a microphone 124, a camera module 122, and a speaker 121. Thesecond display 125 can be a touchscreen display. The first deviceportion 110 and the second device portion 120 are wirelessly,communicatively coupled through the communications module. The cameramodules 112 and 122, the microphones 114 and 124, the keypads 113 and123, the speakers 111 and 121, and the first touchscreen display 115 andthe second display 125 are all interfaced to the communications module.The first device portion 110 comprises a switch or sensor 131 to detectwhen the two device portions 110 and 120 are in an open, substantiallyplanar position. In the open, substantially planar position, the firsttouchscreen display 115 and the second display 125 can comprise asingle, larger display that is substantially the combination of theareas of the two displays.

FIG. 1C shows the electronic device 100 in a fully open position. Thefully open position is detected by a switch 131 shown in FIG. 1B. Theswitch 131 can be a momentary switch, made or broken on fully openingthe electronic device 100. One skilled in the art will recognize thatthe switch 131 can alternatively be a sensor that can be used in lieu ofa switch, and that such sensor can comprise one, or two, components. Insome embodiments, an opto-detector comprises a single component, and theopen position is detected by the occlusion of light reaching theopto-detector. In some embodiments, the sensor is a Hall-effect sensorand magnet pair. The magnet is located in one device portion, such as110, and the Hall-effect sensor is located in a corresponding positionin the other device portion 120. In some embodiments, the open positionis detected by making or breaking an electrical contact between thefirst portion 110 and the second portion 120 such as with aspring-loaded pogo pin and a mating contact.

FIG. 1D shows a rear view of the electronic device 100. A switch 132 canbe used to detect when the electronic device 100 is in a closedposition. In the closed position, shown in FIG. 1A, the rear face 118 ofthe first device portion 110 is substantially in contact with the rearface 128 of the second device portion 120. As with the open positiondetection switch 131, described above, the closed position detectionswitch 132 can be a single switch, or a sensor comprising one or twocomponents. One skilled in the art can readily determine alternativecomponents for implementing both the open position detection switch 131and the closed position detection switch 132. The rear view, FIG. 1D, ofthe electronic device 100 further shows each device portion, 110 and120, having a retractable stand, 116 and 126, respectively. Theretractable stands, 116 and 126, retract into recesses 117 and 127,respectively, such that the retracted stands 116 and 126 are flush withthe rear faces 118 and 128 of the first and second device portions 110and 120. The first and second device portions 110 and 120 arephysically, separably, and hingedly coupled together at the hinge 130.

FIGS. 2A-2E illustrates the electronic device 100 displaying imageinformation. FIG. 2A shows a picture displayed on the first touchscreendisplay 115 and on the second display 125. FIG. 2B shows the user's hand205 preparing to make an “expand” gesture on the touchscreen 115 usingher thumb and forefinger. The user's hand 205 at least partiallyobscures the view of the picture and an expansion frame line 215 on thefirst touchscreen display 115. FIG. 2C shows the user separating herthumb and forefinger, thereby making the “expand” gesture 210 on thefirst touchscreen display 115 in order to trigger the execution of acommand to zoom in on the picture. As the user makes the expand gesture210 on the first touchscreen display 115, an expansion frame line 215 isshown to the user indicating how much expansion will result from theuser's expansion gesture. A corresponding expansion frame line 225 isshown on the second display 125. In this way, the user can see how muchexpansion of the picture will result from the user's expansion gestureon the first touchscreen display 115. FIG. 2D shows the firsttouchscreen display 115 and the second display 125 after the completionof the expansion command 210. The second display 125 shows the expandedpicture without the expansion command frame line 225, after the user hascompleted the expansion command 210. The first touchscreen display 115shows the unexpanded picture without the expansion frame line 215. InFIG. 2E, the first touchscreen display 115 alternatively shows theexpanded picture without the expansion frame line 215, the same as isshown in the second display 125.

FIGS. 3A-3D show the electronic device 100 displaying email information.In FIG. 3A, the first touchscreen display 115 shows the inbox 230 of anemail application. The second display 125 also shows the inbox of theemail application 235. The inbox includes a listing of email messages inthe email inbox, as is well-known in the art. FIG. 3B shows a userselecting one email message from the inbox for viewing by tapping thesubject line 245 of the email message with a finger 240. The electronicdevice 100 is able to show a visual indication 250, and/or play anaudible indication (not shown), of the user's selection of the emailmessage. The visual indication 250 can be displayed on the firsttouchscreen display 115, the second display 125, or both 115 and 125. InFIG. 3C, the subject line 245 of the selected email message ishighlighted in the first touchscreen display 115 to indicate which emailmessage is currently being displayed on the second display 125. Theemail message detail 255 is shown in the second display 125. Using thismethod of displaying information on the electronic device 100, the usercan review the detail of many email messages very quickly, without theuser's hand obscuring the view of the email message. The user canalternatively select to have the detail view of an email message beshown in both the first touchscreen display 115 and the second display125 as shown in FIG. 3D.

FIGS. 4A and 4B shows an electronic device 100 being used for displayingvideo during a phone call via a cell tower 420 on electronic devices 100and 100′. In FIG. 4A, a first user 405 having the first electronicdevice 100 is on a cell phone call with a second user 410 having asecond electronic device 100′ having similar components andfunctionality. The second user's electronic device 100′ is in the closedposition, with the first camera module 112′ facing her and with thesecond camera module 122′ facing a tree 415. The video stream of bothcamera modules 112′ and 122′ is sent over the cell phone connection tothe first electronic device 100. Alternatively, a user can configurewhich camera video stream, if any, is to be transmitted by herelectronic device during the cell phone connection. The first electronicdevice 100 is in the open position such that it can utilize the firsttouchscreen display 115 and the second display 125 as a single, largerdisplay to display the video stream received from the second cameramodule 122′. In FIG. 4A, the first user 405 has configured hiselectronic device 100 to display only the video stream from the cameramodule 122′. The camera module 112 output on the first electronic device100 is transmitted as a video stream showing the first user 405 to thesecond device 100′. The second camera module 122 can also transmit avideo stream from the second camera module 122 thereby transmitting astereoscopic video image of the user 405 to the second electronic device100′.

In FIG. 4B the first user 405 has configured his electronic device 100to display the video streams from both of the camera modules 112′ and122′ of the second electronic device 100′. A mercury switch or othersensor (not shown) can be incorporated into the electronic devices 100and 100′ to automatically detect an orientation change of the electronicdevices 100 and 100′ in order to automatically adjust the view shown tothe user. In FIG. 4B, the first electronic device 100 is oriented in aside-by-side portrait orientation.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show a pair of electronic devices 100 and 100′ beingused for a video conference call. A first pair of users 505 and 510 areseated at a conference table in a first location. The first electronicdevice 100 is physically separated into the first device portion 110 andthe second device portion 120. The two device portions, 110 and 120, areheld in upright positions through use of retractable stands 116 and 126,respectively, described above in FIG. 1D. The camera module 112 in thefirst device portion 110 is directed toward the user 505. The cameramodule 122 in the second device portion 120 is directed toward thesecond user 510. The microphone elements 114 and 124, not shown, and thespeaker elements 111 and 121 (not shown) of each device portion, 110 and120, respectively, are similarly oriented, inherently, by thepositioning of the device portions, 110 and 120 for the camera position.A second pair of users 515 and 520 are located at a second location andare seated in front of a second electronic device 100′ in the samemanner as the first pair of users 505 and 510. The user 505 configuresthe first electronic device 100 to transmit the output of both the firstcamera module 112 and the second camera module 122 as a video streamduring a cell phone conference call. The audio stream from the firstmicrophone 114 and second microphone 124 are similarly transmitted. Thefirst user 505 uses the first touchscreen display 115 on the firstelectronic device 100 to make a cell phone call to the second electronicdevice 100′. The second pair of users 515 and 520 have the secondelectronic device 100′ similarly configured for the conference call. Thefirst electronic device 100 receives an input stream from the secondelectronic device 100′ comprising two video streams, one from the outputof each camera module 112′ and 122′, and two audio streams, one from theoutput of each microphone 114′ and 124′ (not shown). The first deviceportion 110 separates the input stream into its two video streams andtwo audio streams. The first device portion 110 can then display one ofthe two received video streams on its first touchscreen display 115 andthe other received video stream on the second display (facing user 510,not shown). Alternatively, both of the received video streams aredisplayed on both the first touchscreen display 115 and the seconddisplay 125. Typically, both received audio streams are directed to boththe first speaker 111 and the second speaker 121, as shown in FIGS.1A-1D, but this need not be the case. Operation of the second electronicdevice 100′ is analogous to that of the first electronic device 100. Theoperation of the first and second electronic devices 100 and 100′ can beindependently configured. One skilled in the art will recognize that thefirst and second device portions 110 and 120 need not necessarily beseparated for purposes of a conference call as described above. Thefirst and second device portions 110 and 120 can be physically, hingedlycoupled, and the electronic device 100 placed on a table between twousers 505 and 510, in a partially open position, in either landscape orportrait orientation, as shown in FIG. 5B.

FIGS. 6A-6D show flow diagrams for a method 600 of displayinginformation on the electronic device 100. In FIG. 6A, at the top levelof the flow diagram 600, an application receives initial displayinformation designated x_(i) at step 605. The application applies analgorithm in step 610 to generate display information d₁, and d₂corresponding to the first touchscreen display 115 and the seconddisplay 125, respectively. The details of step 610 are shown in FIG. 6B.At step 690, display information d₁ is sent to the first touchscreendisplay 115 and display information d₂ is sent to the second display 125and the method ends.

In FIG. 6B, the method step 610 analyzes the display mode in which theapplication is interacting with the first touchscreen display 115 andthe second display 125. At step 615, if the application is operating inDetail Mode and user input has been received, then at step 620 themethod generates detail information from the display information x_(i)and the user input as shown in more detail in FIG. 6C, otherwise themethod proceeds to step 625. In step 625, if the application isoperating in Full Screen Mode, then the method proceeds to step 630where the display information d₁ is set to one half of the displayinformation x_(i), and display information d₂ is set to the other halfof the display information x_(i), otherwise the method proceeds to step635. In step 635, if the display information x_(i) comprises amultiplexed video signal, then the method goes to step 640 where thedisplay information is demultiplexed as shown in more detail in FIG. 6D,and display information d₁ and d₂ is generated, otherwise, the methodproceeds to step 685. In step 685, the default mode, Paired Mode,assigns the display information x_(i) to both d₁ and d₂.

In FIG. 6C, the method step 620 processes input to a touchscreen. Step620 assumes that both displays 115 and 125 are touchscreens and a userinput has been received from one of the touchscreens. At step 622, ifthe user input was received on the first touchscreen display 115, thenat step 624 d₁ is set to the display information x_(i), and theapplication generates new display information for d₂ based upon theexisting display information x_(i), and the user input. Otherwise, atstep 626 the application generates new display information for d₁ basedupon the existing display information x_(i) and the user input on thesecond touchscreen display 125, and d₂ is set to the display informationx_(i). The operation of this method is exemplified by an email inbox.The display information x_(i) is the email inbox. A user input is, forexample, the selection of an email message to display. Upon receipt ofthe user input on one display, the application generates the display newinformation for the detail of the email message, which is then displayedon the other display.

In FIG. 6D, the method step 640 processes video information x_(i)comprising a multiplexed video signal, such as from multiple securitycameras or a telephone conference call using multiple cameras. At step642, the application demultiplexes the display information x_(i) intotwo display information temp₁ and temp₂. At step 644, if the userselected Paired Multiplexed mode, then the method proceeds to step 646where the application generates a side-by-side image of thedemultiplexed stream and assigns it to both d₁ and d₂. Otherwise, atstep 648, d₁ is set to temp₁, and d₂ is set to temp₂ and the methodreturns to FIG. 6B after step 640. Upon return to FIG. 6B, the methodreturns from FIG. 6B to FIG. 6A after step 610, and before step 690.

FIGS. 7A-7E show a dialog box 700 for configuring an application to usethe first touchscreen display 115 and the second display 125 on theelectronic device 100 according to one embodiment. The dialog box 700comprises common controls such as an “OK” button 701, a “Cancel” button702, a “Delete” button 703, a window sizing control 704, a close windowcontrol 705, and a window minimization control 706. The controls 701-706are known in the art and are common to the dialog box 700 in all ofFIGS. 7A-7E.

The dialog box 700 in FIG. 7A shows a default configuration for thedisplays, absent a rule defining a configuration. The Application field710 comprises a drop-down list 715 of all applications on the electronicdevice 100 from which the user selects an application for displayconfiguration. The “<default>” application represents the displayconfiguration used for all applications, absent a rule defining aconfiguration for an application. The Configuration Name field 720comprises a combo box 725 for the user to enter a name associated withthe application and the configuration. As is known in the art, a combobox is a window control allowing the user to select from a list ofpreviously made entries into the field, or to add a new entry into thefield. The combo box 725 allows the user to select from previouslystored named configurations for recall, editing, or deletion, and allowsthe user to enter a new named configuration for the application. Forexample, a cell phone application, in field 715 may have severaldifferent named configurations for different cell phone uses. Examplesof named configurations for a cell phone application include “TextMessage”, “Teleconference”, “Person to Person”, and “Person to Personwith Video”. The configuration information in the Display Configurationdialog box 700 can be stored and indexed by Configuration Name 725, bythe pair Application 715 and Configuration Name 725, or by otherindexing means known in the art. The Open Position field 730 comprises adrop-down list 735 from which the user can specify the display mode tobe used for the application when the electronic device 100 is in theopen position as shown in FIG. 1C. The drop-down list 735 is populatedwith the display mode names described below: Paired Mode, Detail Mode,Full Screen Mode, Multiplexed Mode, Multiplexed Paired Mode, IndependentSingle Application Mode, and Independent Two Application Mode. The MidPosition field 740 comprises the same drop-down list of display modes asthe Open Position field 730. The user selects a display mode from thelist 745 to be used for the application when the electronic device 100is in the middle position. The middle position is any position where theelectronic device 100 is not open and not closed. The Closed Positionfield 750 comprises the same drop-down list of display modes as the MidPosition field 740. The user selects a display mode from the list 755 tobe used for the application when the electronic device 100 is in theclosed position. The default configuration of the electronic device 100is Paired Mode. Thus, an application, by default, displays the samedisplay information on the first touchscreen display 115 as it does onthe second display 125, regardless of position. In some embodiments, theuser can edit the “<default>” application rule to use a differentdisplay mode, such as Independent Single Application Mode or Full ScreenMode. The user can click the “Ok” button 701, and the configuration willbe stored. The user can click the “Cancel” button 702, and theconfiguration will be canceled and not saved. The user can click the“Delete” button 703 to delete the displayed configuration. In someembodiments, clicking the Cancel button 702 closes the dialog box 700.Alternatively, the dialog box 700 is closed when the user clicks the“Close Window” button 705, as is known in the art.

FIG. 7B shows an example configuration for a movie player application.The user selects the movie player application from the drop-down list715 and enters a name for the configuration, “Movies”, in field 725. Theuser has selected “Full Screen Mode” from the drop-down list 735 for usewhen the electronic device 100 is in the open position. The user hasselected “Paired Mode” for use in the Mid Position 745 and the Closedposition 755. Thus, in the closed position, and the mid position, amovie is played on both the first touchscreen display 115 and the seconddisplay 125. When the user opens the electronic device 100 to the openposition, the movie is automatically played in Full Screen Mode. If theuser folds the electronic device 100, taking it out of the openposition, the display mode is automatically changed to Paired Mode asshown in fields 745 and 755.

FIG. 7C shows an example configuration for an email application. Theuser selects the email application from the drop-down list 715, andenters a name describing the configuration in 725, “Email”. The user hasselected “Detail Mode” from the drop-down list 735 to be used when theelectronic device 100 is in the open position. The user has selectedPaired Mode for use in the mid position from the drop-down list 745 andPaired Mode for use in the closed position from the drop-down list 755.When the electronic device 100 is in the open position, the email inbox,or other selected folder, will be shown in the first touchscreen display115. If the user selects a message for display, the message detail isdisplayed on the second display 125. If the user then closes theelectronic device 100, the display mode is automatically set to PairedMode and the inbox is displayed on both displays 115 and 125. If thesecond display is a touchscreen display, then the application canreceive input from either touchscreen, the application will generatesecond display information from the input, and the second displayinformation will be displayed on both displays 115 and 125 when inPaired Mode. In Detail Mode, if the input was received on the firsttouchscreen display 115, then the detail information will be on thesecond display 125; otherwise the detail information will be displayedon the first touchscreen display 115.

FIG. 7D shows an example configuration for a cell phone teleconferenceapplication. The user selects the cell phone application from thedrop-down list 715 and enters a name describing the configuration infield 725, “Teleconference”. The user has selected Multiplexed Mode foruse in the open position using the drop-down list 735. In multiplexedmode, the teleconference data stream coming to the electronic device 100comprises multiple video streams and can comprise multiple audiostreams. The application demultiplexes the video streams and displays afirst video stream on the first touchscreen display 115 and a secondvideo stream on the second display 125. The user has selected MultiplexPaired mode for the mid position and the closed position. In MultiplexedPaired Mode, the video streams are displayed in a side-by-side with thefirst video stream displayed on the first touchscreen display 115 andthe second video stream displayed on the second display 125.

FIG. 7E shows an example configuration for a cell phone application thatcan be used for text messaging. The user selects the cell phoneapplication from the drop-down list of applications 715, and enters aname for the configuration, “Text messages” in field 725. In the open,mid, and closed positions, the user has selected “Independent SingleApplication” in all positions.

The example configurations shown above, in FIGS. 7A-7E, are only a fewof many possible configurations, and represent one way that a person ofskill in the art can implement the methods of displaying information onan electronic device having two displays, as disclosed herein.

In operation, a method of displaying information on an electronic devicecomprising a first touchscreen display and a second display begins withan application on the electronic device having display information to bedisplayed on the electronic device. In a preferred embodiment, thedisplays are substantially the same size and resolution, and each is atouchscreen display. In a preferred embodiment, the application displayssubstantially all of the display information on both of the displays,such that the displays appear to duplicate one another. The applicationcan split the display information and allocate substantially half of thedisplay information to each display, thereby making the combination ofthe two displays appear as one larger display. The two displays can alsobe used by an application as two distinct touchscreen input and displaydevices. In a multitasking environment, each display can be dedicated toa distinct application, or a second instance of the same application.

The present invention has been described in terms of specificembodiments incorporating details to facilitate the understanding ofprinciples of construction and operation of the invention. Suchreference herein to specific embodiments and details thereof is notintended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. It will bereadily apparent to one skilled in the art that other variousmodifications are able to be made to the embodiments chosen forillustration without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of displaying information on anelectronic device comprising a first touchscreen display on a firstdevice portion of the electronic device, a wireless communicationsmodule, and a second touchscreen display on a second device portion ofthe electronic device, the method comprising the steps: providing aplurality of operating modes; when the electronic device is operating ina multiplexed mode, performing a first procedure including:demultiplexing an incoming multiplexed stream of the first video and thesecond video that is received as a phone call; displaying the firstvideo on the first touchscreen display; displaying the second video onthe second touchscreen display; multiplexing first video data from afirst camera on the first device portion of the electronic device andsecond video data from a second camera on the second device portion ofthe electronic device into an outgoing multiplexed stream; and when theelectronic device is operating in a detailed mode, performing a secondprocedure including: displaying data on the first touchscreen display;displaying the data on the second touchscreen display such that the datais concurrently displayed on both the first touchscreen display and thesecond touchscreen display; receiving user input on the firsttouchscreen display to manipulate the displayed data; while receivingthe user input on the first touchscreen display, displaying themanipulated data on the second touchscreen display but not on firsttouchscreen display; and after the user input on the first touchscreenis completed, displaying the manipulated data on the first touchscreendisplay such that the manipulated data is concurrently displayed on boththe first touchscreen display and the second touchscreen display.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the stream comprises a video stream from apair of conference call video cameras.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe stream comprises a video stream from a pair of security cameras. 4.A control circuit implementing the method of claim
 1. 5. The controlcircuit of claim 4, further comprising a video stream input interface.6. The control circuit of claim 4, further comprising: a firsttouchscreen interface; and a second touchscreen interface.
 7. The methodof claim 1, further comprising positioning the electronic device in aclosed position, wherein in the closed position, the first deviceportion and the second device portion are back-to-back such that thefirst touchscreen display and the second touchscreen display faceoutward.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising physicallyseparating the first device portion and the second device portion.
 9. Amethod of displaying content on an electronic device, the electronicdevice comprising a first touchscreen display on a first device portionof the electronic device and a second touchscreen display on a seconddevice portion of the electronic device, wherein the first deviceportion and the second device are detachably coupled, the methodcomprising the steps: concurrently displaying a first view of thecontent on each of the first touchscreen display and the secondtouchscreen display; receiving a user input on the first touchscreendisplay, wherein the user input received on the first touchscreendisplay is distinguished from user inputs received on the secondtouchscreen display and is associated with a visual manipulation of thefirst view of the content; automatically generating a second view of thecontent in response to the user input received on the first touchscreendisplay, wherein the second view of the content is a different view ofthe content than the first view of the content; displaying the secondview of the content on the second touchscreen display while the firstview of the content is concurrently being displayed on the firsttouchscreen display; receiving a user input on the second touchscreendisplay, wherein the user input received on the second touchscreendisplay is an input to expand the size of a selected picture;automatically generating a display information in response to the userinput received on the second touchscreen display; and displaying thedisplay information on the first touchscreen display, wherein thedisplay information is an expanded version of the selected pictureaccording to the user input received on the second touchscreen display,wherein during the user input on the second touchscreen display,displaying on the first touchscreen an outline of a frame indicating theamount of expansion of the size of the selected picture, and the displayinformation is displayed on the first touchscreen display without theoutline of the frame after the user input on the second touchscreendisplay is completed.
 10. A control circuit implementing the method ofclaim
 9. 11. The control circuit of claim 10, further comprising: afirst touchscreen display interface; and a second touchscreen displayinterface.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying thesecond view of the content on the first touchscreen display after thesecond view of the content is displayed on the second touchscreendisplay.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first view of thecontent displayed on the first touchscreen display is an inbox of anemail application, wherein the user input received on the firsttouchscreen display is a selection of an email message to view, andwherein the second view of the content displayed on the secondtouchscreen display is the inbox of the email application with a portionof the inbox corresponding to the selected email message visuallydistinguished from the rest of the inbox to indicate the selection, andfurther comprising displaying a detailed view of the selected message onthe second touchscreen display after the second view of the content isdisplayed in the second touchscreen display.
 14. The method of claim 13,further comprising displaying the detailed view of the selected messageon the first touchscreen display after the detailed view of the selectedmessage is displayed on the second touchscreen display.
 15. The methodof claim 9, wherein the first view of the content displayed on the firsttouchscreen display is a directory displaying information representing aplurality of pictures, wherein the user input received on the firsttouchscreen display is a selection of one of the pictures for display,and further comprising displaying the selected picture on the secondtouchscreen display.
 16. A method of displaying content on an electronicdevice, the electronic device comprising a first touchscreen display ona first device portion of the electronic device and a second touchscreendisplay on a second device portion of the electronic device, wherein thefirst device portion and the second device are detachably coupled, themethod comprising the steps: concurrently displaying a first view of thecontent on each of the first touchscreen display and the secondtouchscreen display; receiving a user input on the first touchscreendisplay, wherein the user input received on the first touchscreendisplay is distinguished from user inputs received on the secondtouchscreen display and is associated with a visual manipulation of thefirst view of the content; automatically generating a second view of thecontent in response to the user input received on the first touchscreendisplay, wherein the second view of the content is a different view ofthe content than the first view of the content; when the user input onthe first touchscreen display is being received, displaying the secondview of the content only on the second touchscreen display whileconcurrently displaying the first view of the content only on the firsttouchscreen display; and when the user input on the first touchscreendisplay is completed, displaying the second view of the content on thefirst touchscreen display after the second.